AUGUSTA ­— There was a shift of power at the top of Class A in last year’s cheerleading state championships, as Biddeford knocked perennial Lewiston off its perch. It didn’t take long for the Blue Devils to get back on top, however, as they rose above the rest of the competition, including the Tigers, to take home the Class A state title again Saturday at the Augusta Civic Center.

“They did what they needed to do to bring the title back to Lewiston, and that’s all we can ask for,” said Lewiston head coach Lynette Morency. “They’ve worked really hard, they’ve had a really good week. They just really wanted to bring it back; last year’s fourth-place finish was really hard to swallow, and they came back with a vengeance this year, which was good.”

Morency said her team bounced and banged around a little bit and some little things were off, but the Blue Devils still outdid the competition. Lewiston won with a score of 160.2 out of a possible 175 ”“ a score Morency said she thought was a little low ”“ to beat out Biddeford and its second-place score of 152.1. Noble finished third, with a score of 150.9, to secure a place alongside the Blue Devils and Tigers at the New England championships.

Biddeford failed in its bid to defend its title, but with a new team and a new season the Tigers didn’t let that sour their moods after their routine.

“We’re pretty pumped,” said senior captain Hannah Morin-Roy. “We had a lot of injuries this season, and it was definitely hard to overcome those obstacles. But we worked so hard throughout the season, we have no regrets, and we’re really happy with second today.”

“Obviously we’re not the best in the state, but second is still really, really good,” added fellow senior captain Jill Vigneault. “Like Hannah said, we’ve had so many injuries, so it’s really good to be able to work as a team and come together and get second.”

Morin-Roy said there was some doubt on the team after the routine as to whether they did enough to get a top-two finish and a spot at New Englands, but she said the girls “left it all on the mat.”

Morency said the same of her team, which performed much better than it did a year ago, when the Blue Devils finished fourth. Morency said putting last year’s result in the rearview mirror, as well as building a mission statement before this season, led to the better showing. Morency said that covenant of being fearless, intense and relentless pushed her girls and held them accountable.

“Every year we up the ante, and then we see where it takes us,” said Morency. “They fought really hard. It was good to see.”

Wells competed in the Class B state competition earlier in the day in Augusta, and the Warriors finished seventh out of 12 teams. Eastern Maine champion Hermon won its fifth-consecutive Class B title, with Western Maine champion Medomak Valley coming in second.

For a team that has just three seniors on a squad of 20 competitors, seventh was more than a consolation prize for Wells, said head coach Sara Littlefield.

“I think they did everything to the best of their ability,” said Littlefield. “We have a very, very, very young team. I think less than half have ever competed at the varsity level out of the 20 kids. They did everything they possibly could today to get the score they got. I know they feel really good about it, we feel really good about it. I’m proud of them.”

Lisbon took home the Class C title over Dirigo, as the Greyhounds won their first cheering state title ”“ the only first-time champion of the four. Class D again went to Central Aroostook, which won comfortably over Bangor Christian for its seventh state title in the past eight years.

The top three teams in each class, as well as the top three coed teams in each class, receive invitations to the New England championships on Saturday, March 21. The Tigers will be looking to win another New England title, after winning a coed title last year. However, Biddeford will be competing for the girls-only title this year, and will have to knock off Lewiston, the defending champion, for that title.

“I think we’re all ready to work hard for the next month, month and a half and to bring it to New Englands,” said Morin-Roy.

— Sports Staff Writer Wil Kramlich can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 323 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @WilTalkSports.